|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tuning Proper fin and binding settings can make as big an impact on your skiing as what ski you buy. When you are contemplating the purchase of a new ski, that is also a great time to consider going to a ski school to get your ski tuned up. At the Ski Tests each factory provided a representative to assist with settings and advise the test team with the particulars of each ski. After a week of skiing with professionals in the boat it was clear to everyone that we would not have had the same impressions of the skis without the factory reps on hand. Size All of the manufactures have a recommended weight range for each ski. This is a great starting place but may not lead you to your optimum ski. In cases where a ski is available in inch increments the choice of what size is as important as what brand or model. In a number of cases at the 2008 Ski Tests a skier preferred a different size ski when conventional wisdom dictated. In one case the 67” was said to be faster across the lake and turned better then the 68” of the same model. In the case of another brand the 68” was heralded over the 67” for its strikingly smoother but less aggressive turns. In some cases the factory develops the one size first and then applies the design to the other sizes. Each subsequent size requires additional development and does not necessarily have the exact personality of the original. The other sizes should not be viewed as better or worse but simply as not identical. Choose Without a bad ski in the group choosing one of these skis would be a daunting task. Just a few years ago many of the high end skis were much less refined. Today all of the skis can be described as fast and most can be described as user friendly or forgiving. The differences between the skis has become significantly more subtle. The skis all have unique personalities. Depending on the skiers style the Radar MPD or the Connelly F1 might turn the fastest. In most other respects these two skis are nothing alike. The O’Brien SS, the D3 Nomad RC, D3 X5 and the Goode 9800 SL all finish the turn very smoothly but with very different paths and feels underfoot. To some skiers the Fisher or the Monza feel the fastest off the ball but a feeling of speed is not a good measure of how well the ski actually accelerates or how wide it will get on the other side of the course. To some skiers the Connelly F1 may feel like the slowest ski right off the ball but it gets the skier as wide or wider then any of the skis. When it comes time to buy your new ski I highly recommend that you try as many skis as possible. Most of the skis reviewed here are available with a performance guarantee or a demo program. |
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
 |
